Prisoner
by hiddenwriterspirit
Summary: After months of avoiding war with the Outcasts, Hiccup finds himself being taken prisoner and forced to live in a horrible cell with bloodthirsty vikings. It seems the only comfort he can find is in the slave girl who brings him his meal every day; mericcup
1. Prologue

"Why? Why would you help me?" she said, huffing as more guards trailed behind them. Their loud steps echoed through the halls, alerting every man and dragon of their presence. "You could have escaped by now!"

"Well it's too late now!" he said, squeezing her wrist harder as his foot nearly slipped. "If you really want to go back, I'm sure they'll be more than welcoming!"

She huffed in slight annoyance, but kept running anyway. There was no way she was going back. Not after what they did. Not after what they took her from.

**Five Years Ago**

In short, life was peaceful. True, the rambunctious princess never sat still nor listened to anyone ever and would occasionally give her mother heart attacks, but for as long as the princess lived there was never war nor turmoil in the kingdom. And today, the life of the land sprung up in joy and celebration for Princess Merida's twelfth birthday.

Everyone was arrayed in their best attire while travelling up the hill to the grand castle. Maidservants bustled around carrying cloths and decorations while others began setting trays of food and drink on a long set of tables. While preparations were being made, Queen Elinor ran around looking for her three sons. The prince triplets, Hamish, Hubert and Harris, were only four years of age, yet the toddlers had a knack for disappearing and causing a ruckus in the castle grounds.

The Queen was tired and stressed, and her headache was only building up as people continued to run past her. Suddenly, a tiny little feet came sprinting toward her as a small voice cried out, "Mummy!"

The grown woman barely had enough time to turn around before a bouncing little redhead jumped into her arms. Giggling, princess Merida grasped onto her mother's gown as the girl's small brothers clamored around her feet.

As a smile made its way back onto her face, Queen Elinor wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Happy birthday, dear."

Merida lifted her face and beamed up at the dark-haired woman, but as soon as she did the Queen's face fell.

"Merida! Why is your face all dirty?" As quick as she could, Elinor grabbed a napkin from a table and began wiping the princess' face.

"I was just playing with the boys." Merida grumbled as her mother scrubbed her face. Looking down, the Queen then saw that all her children were covered in dirt. A horrified look overcame her, and she was about to scold every one of them, but then she saw her daughter's bright smile and her heart melted all over again.

Taking a deep breath, she let out a small sigh. "Well, they're going to start the celebration soon, so go change and get cleaned up." Elinor nodded her daughter off, then called out to one of the servants. "Maudie! Could you help me give the boys a bath please?"

Not three hours had gone by, and already the castle was filled with music, dancing, and quite a bit of drinking for a young girl's birthday. Despite his wife's warning, King Fergus had drunk quite a bit that night, singing songs and swaying to the music along with his greatest allies: the Lords of DunBroch.

Merida was in the middle of the hall, skipping and kicking her legs high in the air as she twirled around to the upbeat music. Her red curls bounced and the bright cheeks were red with delight and laughter. Eventually, her energy began to deplete as the quick musicians defeated her. Not yet wanting to retire, she found her father at the head of the room and climbed onto his lap.

"Happy birthday, mah wee darling!" The King said, squeezing his daughter in a death grip hug. "How do you like your party?"

When he released her, she gave a hearty laugh and snuggled up to him. "I love it! I don't ever want it to end!"

Fergus boomed with laughter. "Now that's a grand idea!" Taking another swig of ale, he ruffled his daughter's hair. "Alright, by royal decree, this party will never end!"

Merida knew it would stop eventually, but her father's words couldn't make her beam any brighter. Playfully, she took the helmet off his head and stuck it on her own. It was much too bit for her, so the metal slipped off her hair and fell to the floor. Giggling, she slipped off her father's knee to pick it up for him.

But just then, a man came running up to the king. His red face and labored breathing didn't seem too out of place, but his expression changed everything. His eyes were dark, and his sweat was cold. Hands shaking, he whispered into King Fergus' ear.

Seconds after the King stood and broke the small decree he had just made to his daughter. The musicians stopped playing, and everyone immediately stopped talking to face their king.

"Everyone!" he called, "Prepare for battle! Vikings are upon us!"


	2. Chapter 1

Over twenty highland girls were shoved through the dark, damp corridor. Their short, staggered breaths echoed off the stone walls while the wind whistled past them. The guards cursed at them whenever one tripped, but their legs had not yet been accustomed to being on the ground again. They had been at sea for over a week now, forced to sit in their own excrement and vomit. Though some of them had been out at sea before, none were forced to stay below deck for such a vast amount of time.

There was only one voice of comfort among them. Her legs still shook from the voyage, but she kept her head high and proud. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises from the many attempts to escape her captors, but now she knew it would not be so easy.

She had only turned twelve, one of the youngest among the group. Yet she knew who she was.

"My name is Merida Dunbroch." She whispered to herself. "I am the daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor, heir to the throne of all of Dunbroch."

She gritted her teeth and glared at the guards each time they hit her or one of her citizens. With her hands bound, she had no means to fight, but she promised to herself over and over again:

"You will not break me."

At last, they reached their destination. Many girls whimpered or gasped at the sight of their new sleeping quarters, but more began to cry as they saw the branding iron being heated on the small fire pit.

The guards grabbed the first girl, but she screamed and thrashed to avoid having red-hot metal touch her skin. Tears streamed down her face, her cries filled the room. None of the men around them cared. But Merida couldn't bear it. She couldn't bear to sit by and listen to her screams.

Out of instinct, she swung her bound hands at the closest guard. He stumbled a bit, giving her enough time to run to the others around the screaming girl. She didn't get very far, and soon three men were upon her. Two of them held her as the other gave her a sound beating.

It wasn't long till they were satisfied, but her actions didn't save the girl from her branding. The princess knew that much.

"I guess she wants to go first." One of the men sneered.

The others laughed, and ripped open the back of her shirt to reveal her bare skin. Clenching her jaw, the Scot waited for the metal to touch her skin.

Before another thought could come to her mind, a searing pain was placed on her back. The smell of burnt flesh filled the room as steam rose to the ceiling. But she dared not scream. A small whimper exited her mouth, but she quickly stiffened it. Though watered eyes, she caught a glimpse of the other girls, staring at her.

"It's not that bad." She said, trying to comfort them. "I can barely feel it anymore."

It wasn't a complete lie. The part where the metal touched her skin felt no more pain, but everywhere around it still burned with every breath.

But her words were enough. One by one, each girl received her brand with only a few cries of pain. After they were thrown into their cells, they huddled together for support.

"We'll get through this." Merida said. "But we have to promise now and forever, that they will never break us."

Each girl nodded, repeating the promise to themselves. The princess smiled at their resolve.

But not even she could prepare them for the horrors to come.


	3. Chapter 2

**5 Years Later**

Hiccup couldn't have been more on edge that day. There were dark clouds rising above the horizon, and soon he could feel tiny droplets of rain hit his face and hands. And to make matters worse, he was flying through Outcast territory. Toothless, his loyal and faithful dragon, continuously grumbled in fear as they entered the storm clouds

This was not the first time they had flown through a storm, but Hiccup wasn't quite so eager to allow Toothless' prosthetic tail wing to malfunction or break, leaving them stranded on an island or worse, drowning in the ocean.

"Don't worry, bud. Let's just find someplace to land and wait out the storm."

But where would they land? As far as he knew, the Outcast Islands stretched far, and it would be hard to see anyone's flags through the rain.

_But…_ Hiccup thought, _they also wouldn't be able to see us_.

He continued to battle with a decision in his mind, but poor Toothless was growing more and more restless as the rain thickened. Eventually, Hiccup gave in as the lightning began to flash before them. As soon as the next island came into view, they landed and took shelter in a crowd of trees.

**Meanwhile**

With Berk on the verge of war, the village was growing restless. For years now, the incidences of blood and death surrounding the Outcasts and Berk were steadily increasing. Many because of dragons, others because of hatred, but most was out of revenge.

Gobber rubbed the stump on his arm and leg as the air pressure dropped dramatically.

"It's going to be a big one." He muttered to himself. "Hiccup better get back soon."

The young Viking set out to arrange a peace treaty with all the Viking tribes, including the Outcasts and Berserkers, hoping to end the violence.

"How much you wanna bet this doesn't work?" Snotlout sneered as he leaned oh so carelessly by the well.

"That's the problem," said Astrid, "I would bet my life. I don't know what Hiccup was thinking, those Outcasts are never going to sign any form of a treaty."

"Well, as a new chief, this at least shows he has some guts." Gobber continued to rub his stumps, but he could feel the storm getting closer and closer. "Hrm, this is going to be a REALLY big one."

Astrid sighed. "Still, he should've taken more people with him rather than just Fishlegs and the former dragon trapper Eret."

"He knew what he was doing." Gobber continued. "Fishlegs has more information on dragons and everyone on the island better than anyone else. He specifically took Eret _because_ he wasn't from Berk. He can give Hiccup a better understanding of how the others might react."

"Still a stupid idea in the first place." Snotlout said.

**A Few Hours Earlier**

Yes, it was a stupid idea. Hiccup knew from the start this was a long shot. Still, he had to try every option with war staring at them in the face.

Fishlegs and Eret trailed behind him, ready to assist in any way, though neither of them had ever attended a Chief Meeting.

His heart thumped with anticipation as he entered the Grand Council Room for all the chiefs to meet. He had only been there once, as a child, though he remembered nothing of the event. Looking up at the tall ceiling, he could see the sunlight through the rotting wooden rafters. As his eyes scanned the room, he could see all the other chiefs and their attendants, chattering about and socializing. All of a sudden his stomach turned into a knot. He had never been good at making friends, and this could be one of the most pivotal points in his role as chief.

_Breath, Hiccup._ He thought to himself. _I wish you were here, dad._

With such an abrupt end, Stoick the Vast was never given the chance to teach his son everything about being a chief. Unfortunately, one of the skills he neglected to teach was how to get along with the other chiefs.

Though for some reason, when Hiccup made his arrival known, everyone respectfully sat down in their appointed seats.

Hiccup's blood burned through his skin. How was he supposed to address them? Is there any special etiquette he has to perform?

He looked around slowly, almost all the chiefs there were about twice his age, some even older. Their battle scars were shown proudly on their skins. Each had a gruff look in their eye, as though they knew someone was about to die.

_Don't let them intimidate you. You are the son of Stoick the Vast. You can do this._

Taking a deep breath, he stood among them.

"I thank you all for meeting here on such short notice." He spoke loudly, trying to be heard from every corner. "I believe you are all aware of the reason behind this call."

There were a few murmurs of "aye" and nodding heads.

"Since the beginning of the Dragons' War we have lived in peace. But, now that there is a new reckoning between man and dragon, turmoil has stirred up among us again."

Hiccup directed his gaze toward the empty chair meant for the missing Outcast leader. He had hoped Dagur would at least come to represent the Berserker Tribe, but no one truly believed he would make himself so vulnerable in such a setting.

For the past few years, Dagur had been leading his army against all of the different tribes. As he landed on each shore, he set to stealing, killing, and raping with the great force he now held with both dragons and men.

"We all know what has been happening with Dagur the Deranged, but since the new discovery of the Bewilderbeast and Dragon Bludvist's attack, Dagur's movements have been quiet. I can only interpret this as an ill omen of something dark to come. Therefore, I propose to all of you, that we form an alliance and defend ourselves against Dagur together."

There were a few murmurs, but some of their eyes began to shift around the room. Vikings had never been on good terms, especially with each other. There is always some history or event that splits each tribe from the next. Some held larger grudges than others, but there is a reason for every divide.

This was Hiccup's biggest fear. He knew Berk alone could not hold against Dagur if he ever got his hands on a Bewilderbeast like the one Drago had. Though they now have new knowledge about such a dragon, many had died during Drago's invasion, and the village was still pulling itself together. But these Vikings were never willing to join forces. Sure, they'd agree to leave each other alone, but as far as allies, it was near-impossible.

Suddenly, Bertha, Chief of the Bog-Burglars stood.

"We'll join!" she cried.

For a moment, Hiccup's heart leaped with joy. But only for a moment.

"If the Bog-Burglars join, then we refuse!" shouted the Chief of the Bashem Oiks.

Soon the room was filled with shouting and arguments. Many argued the past relationships with the tribes, others commented on the flaws of such a plan, some even remarked on the status of Hiccup and if he was worthy to be chief.

It was all falling apart. In a split second, everyone turned on each other. Words were being thrown around left and right, even a few fists began to fly.

"Any suggestions?" Hiccup said, leaning toward FIshlegs and Eret.

Fishlegs shook his head. "This is madness."

"This is politics." Eret grumbled. "It's best we let them sort it out. If I've learned anything from working for Drago, it's to never get in the way of an angry man with power."

"Great…" Hiccup looked at the display in front of him. From the looks of things, talking was going to get them nowhere. If only they would just stop for a moment.

"Everyone, Listen!" He called with the loudest voice he could muster. But it was no use, there was too much noise going on.

"Hey! I said listen!" Suddenly Toothless burst into the room, responding to the call of his rider's screams. He roared against the turmoil, a plasma blast forming in the back of his throat.

At the dragon's entrance, everyone fell silent. The screaming; the yelling; the fighting; all stopped. Soon everyone was back in their seats and looking toward Hiccup.

"I understand there has been some rocky relationships over the past few centuries, but I have three words for you: Suck. It. Up. If we don't come together now, we'll all perish. Is that what you want? We have no idea where Dagur is or what he's planning! So learn to tolerate each other till we know everyone is safe! Deal?"

No more words were uttered among them. Hiccup scanned the room, looking at each of the chiefs in the eye. He was resolved, that much was true. Suddenly he snapped his fingers at Fishlegs, who pulled out a piece of parchment.

"All this treaty says is that if one of us is in trouble, we will be there to help. But only IF something happens. If there's nothing, and Dagur has actually fallen off the edge of the world, then you can continue ignoring each other. Alright?"

The silence among them continued. All seemed as though tie itself had stopped moving. Hiccup's heart rang in his ears. He had yelled at them. He challenged their authorities and opinions and placed his own above them. Either the chiefs will be threatened, or they will see him as an equal. But they did nothing. They simply stared at the man standing before them.

After what seemed like an eternity, one stood.

"Like I said," Chief Bertha proclaimed, "We will join."

Silently, she took a quill from Fishlegs and signed her name at the bottom of the parchment. Soon, many others began to stand and signed the treaty. Some did not sign at all, which worried Hiccup. But more than half the tribes were now unites together. Well, as united as they can get.

Once they had all sat back down, Hiccup took the parchment and hung it on the wall for all to see. Turning back to the other chiefs, he bowed in respect and promptly left.

**Present Day on Some Random Island**

Of course, on the way back to Berk, a storm just had to appear out of nowhere. Fishlegs and Eret were asked to stay behind to gather any other information about the other tribes, but really, Hiccup just wanted to be alone.

Unfortunately the storms clouds on the horizon chased them into Outcast territory, and now they were stuck waiting for the rain to pass.

"I'd say it went well." He said to himself.

Toothless grumbled in response. After all, things only began to move smoothly once the dragon gave its display of power. He tried to huddle his tail and wings in closer to avoid them getting hit by rain, but it was no use. The two of them were already soaking wet. Every now and then the Night Fury would blow a small flame to warm his companion, in which Hiccup returned the small favor with a scratch under the chin.

"Looks like it's going to be a rough night."


End file.
